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Top Ranked LIU Post Breezes Past St. Anselm

from press release

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Solid performances
from several upperclassmen helped turn a shaky first half into a
solid win for the top-ranked LIU Post women's lacrosse team, which
led by only three at the half but engineered a strong second stanza
to post an 18-8 victory over Saint Anselm College on Friday
afternoon.

It was the season opener for both teams as the No. 1 Pioneers
open their National Championship title defense with a victory.

The Pioneers didn't waste any time out of the gate as junior
Morgan Chiarenza (Nesconset, N.Y.) scored at 29:33 on an assist
from senior Ashley Olen (East Islip, N.Y.). One minute and thirty
seconds later, Abbie Ross (Miller Place, N.Y.) and Samantha Losco
(Smithtown, N.Y.) connected for Ross' first marker of the
afternoon. But the Hawks stormed back with three goals in a
two-minute span to take a 3-2 lead at the 24:14 mark.

The lead was short lived, however, as Olen tied it up on a free
position goal at 23:46. But a scoreless drought for both teams saw
the score remain tied unti l16:42, when Olen struck again, putting
the Pioneers on top, 4-3.

Junior Jackie Sileo (Wantagh, N.Y.) finally seemed to get the
offense firing on all cylinders, as she connected with Ross at
15:09 and 14:32 to extend the hosts' lead to 6-3. But Marissa Daly
scored back-to-back on a free position at 12:06 and an unassisted
tally at 11:13 to keep the Hawks close. Senior Brie-Claire Drost
(Wading River, N.Y.) scored at 8:05, but Kaitlyn Stazinski
countered for the hawks at 4:29 to keep it a one-goal contest.

Sileo's first score of the afternoon at 4:13 and Ross' fourth of
the afternoon with 35 seconds before halftime gave the Pioneers a
three-goal cushion and a bit of breathing room heading into the
break, and they emerged in the second half with some noticeable
adjustments that would result in eight straight goals along with a
defense that kept the Hawks off the board for the first 20 minutes
of the half.

Olen got the scoring started as Sileo assisted on three straight
goals, before scoring another of her own at 17:38, then adding two
more helpers.
Kelly Pickett finally gave St. A's its first goal of the second
half at 9:23, and Daly recorded a hat trick with her third marker
at 8:11, but the Pioneer lead was insurmountable at that point, as
freshman Katie Ventrella (Bayville, N.Y.) scored her first
collegiate goal to close out the afternoon's scoring.

Senior goalkeeper Dominique Mosca (Merrick, N.Y.) made three
saves in the victory, while Jane Bunn stopped six shots in 45:29
minute of action, and Allee Ramzi played the remaining 14:31
recording three saves.

Sileo picked up right where she left off last season with a
team-high 11 points on two goals and nine assist, while both Olen
and Ross recorded six points – Ross with a team-high six
goals, and Olen with five scores and one assist. Chiarenza, in her
first game back since missing the entire 2012 season with an
injury, chipped in with a hat trick, and Losco finished with three
assists.

The Pioneers outshot the Hawks 28-14 and won the ground ball
battle 20-15. Saint Anselm had a 17-11 edge in draw controls, but
The Pioneers were 12-14 on clear attempts compared to only 4-9 for
the Hawks. The Pioneers also took better care of the ball,
committing only 11 turnovers compared to 20 for the visitors.

Next on the slate for the top-ranked Pioneers is a trip to
Philadelphia University on March 5, starting at 3 p.m.